Lulu goes for her LP re-eval today

[JDS]

After 2 weeks of crate rest along with Metacam & supplements, today is the day we take Lulu for a re-check on her legs. I'm nervous but trying to be prepared for whatever our vet has to say. We've been in contact with the board certified surgeon that will handle her surgery & I know she will be in great hands if it comes to that. I just hope we make the right decision either way. I will update as soon as possible, but I have many engagements to attend today including Lulu's vet appt. so it may be late tonight. But I will update.

[BlueBelle]

Hope all goes swimmingly!

[yorkieusa]

I hope you get good news.

[JDS]

I've got a few mins before heading back out so I thought I would post a quick update.

Lulu's legs aren't any better. Her right rear knee is out all the time. It can be manipulated back in, but pops right back out. So we are going to see the surgeon in 2 weeks. He said surgery is usually done the same day as the consult (if they deem it necessary) so we will go in prepared for Lulu to have surgery that day. We are crossing our fingers that we can get Care Credit b/c with this being Christmas, we don't have $2500 just sitting around.

That's all for now. I welcome any experiences with the LP surgery. Did your baby return to normal after recovery? I can't stand the thought of Lulu being only 8 months old and not being able to run and play like a puppy should b/c her leg won't allow it. I want to cry right now just thinking about it. She's an angel & loves everyone. I just want her to be happy & healthy and be able to enjoy her life.

[deeda9999]

I'm sorry to hear about Lulu. It is a lot to digest. This forum has helped me a lot and the nice people who have been very supportive.

Gilmore is on his 3rd week post-op and he is doing very well. He started using the leg immediately after surgery. The hardest part has been containing him and dealing with his ( and mine) frustration at being cooped up all day. He is on 12 weeks of crate rest so we have only 9 more. HOORAY !!!!

Gilmore is 11 months old and I have total faith that he will be back to running around like the crazy puppy he was before. He would have had no chance without the surgery.

Please don't hesitate to PM me and I will give you my phone number if you want to talk on the phone.

Sending hugs to you and Lulu, Lisa

[Cha Cha]

I don't have any experience with LP, but my Mylee is in the rehabilitation stage from a different frustrating leg/hip issue. I just want to say good luck to you, and know that others here know what you are going through and the frustrations and other feelings you are experiencing, and they are here to help. It does sound like you are on the right track and a good plan in place.

[Patti]

Pixie(5 years old) had the same thing. Her left knee would not stay in at all. After 3 vets and an othro said surgery I had it done. On the day of the surgical consult I was told to not feed her after 9 pm the night before in case surgery was needed. She ended up having the surgery that day and came home the next day. She is about 6 months post surgery and is doing great. She plays more than before. I still second guess my decision but think it was the right one for her. Cali has grade 4 in both knees and is 5 1/2 and she has done fine without the surgery so far. Pixie really had a hard time walking with it where Cali doesn't. Good luck.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by JDS

I've got a few mins before heading back out so I thought I would post a quick update.

Lulu's legs aren't any better. Her right rear knee is out all the time. It can be manipulated back in, but pops right back out. So we are going to see the surgeon in 2 weeks. He said surgery is usually done the same day as the consult (if they deem it necessary) so we will go in prepared for Lulu to have surgery that day. We are crossing our fingers that we can get Care Credit b/c with this being Christmas, we don't have $2500 just sitting around.

That's all for now. I welcome any experiences with the LP surgery. Did your baby return to normal after recovery? I can't stand the thought of Lulu being only 8 months old and not being able to run and play like a puppy should b/c her leg won't allow it. I want to cry right now just thinking about it. She's an angel & loves everyone. I just want her to be happy & healthy and be able to enjoy her life.

I don't have any experience with the surgery, but with Care Credit. If you have decent credit you will be approved. i applied for it when I was doing better, but still had a high debt to credit ratio, and was still approved for over $3000. Even now when I am going though some tough times, and other cards cancelled out on me, CC did not. Just make sure you pay off the full amount before the promotional period ends, otherwise the apr is like 30%! Both times I've used it, the promo period was 6 months.

Good luck with the surgery.

[JDS]

Thank you all for your support. I really appreciate it. It's good to hear from those who have been there done that & lived to tell.

Patty, does Pixie show any symptoms or signs of having had LP or the LP surgery? Lulu can't run far at all right now without limping & pulling up her little leg. My vet just called back to tell me that they forgot to inform me that Lulu can't eat or drink after 10pm the day before her appt. The surgeon said most surgeries are done the same day as the consult. That's kinda scary to me! I guess I need to try to feel prepared before going.

capt_noonie, thank you for the information on care credit. My husband has been looking into it. We have good credit but a slightly high debt to credit ratio so hopefully we will be able to get enough. We won't have any problems making the payments & we are hoping to get 12 months interest free b/c we know for sure we can have it covered by then. My husband is going to call the surgeon before our appt to inquire about this & to see if we should apply online before going or wait until we get there.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by JDS

capt_noonie, thank you for the information on care credit. My husband has been looking into it. We have good credit but a slightly high debt to credit ratio so hopefully we will be able to get enough. We won't have any problems making the payments & we are hoping to get 12 months interest free b/c we know for sure we can have it covered by then. My husband is going to call the surgeon before our appt to inquire about this & to see if we should apply online before going or wait until we get there.

I think if the higher the amt charged, the more time they give you to pay. It never hurts to call the surgeon and ask first. I applied online for emergency peace of mind, and ended up using it when she was diagnosed with pancreatitis, and also for her spay and bloodwork and all that stuff. it was really nice to have it, I wouldn't have had that chunk of change to pay for her tests when she was sick, and in the end Uni would have suffered. CC is great. Just pay off before the promo!!!

[yorkieusa]

I'm sorry she needs surgery. When she's completely healed, she'll have the rest of her life to run, play, and have fun again.

[YorkieTherapy]

Guinness had his LP surgery six months ago. To answer your question going on our experience, yes, they do return to normal. In Guinness' case, he is better than ever.

With any surgery, my greatest concern for Guinness was anesthsia. We had bloodwork done and I emailed the surgeon guild lines for anesthesia protocol which I found here at YT in the Yorkie health and diet section. (I'm sorry I haven't learned to link with my new iPad yet, perhaps someone here can help) The surgeon was wonderful and assured us they had no problem following the protocol and they did. (Thank you to all the YT'ers who put the protocol together.)*

Post-op was mainly about pain management, taking/carrying him out on potty breaks, but the most important and difficult thing after LP surgery was keeping him still and from running and jumping when he started to feel better. This took about two weeks. DH and I cleared out the livingroom, putting down camping mattresses. We sat, ate slept and watched television there for six weeks, giving him no temptation to do any of the above. Guinness had the luxury of a 24 hour Ma-servant so we did not have to use a crate. We had piddle pads at the corner of the room but he was good about letting us know he needed to go potty outside. We managed not to have an accident.

Things that helped us:

-Letting people know you'll be tied-up for two weeks.... of course this did not help with ALL our family members.
-Soft fabric Elizabethan collar- comfortable, folds over so he can access food and water. Not so jarring when he bumps into furniture. Remember to give it to the hospital staff the day of surgery and check your final bill ... *they sometimes charge you automatically for a plastic one.
-Pill cutter- if meds are in pill form.
-AM and PM weekly pill box.
-Small fabric ice bag- *no condensation. First used for cold compression then later for warm compression. For cold compression, fill with ice and water- it gets colder faster and water helps with cushioning and molds to leg so it stays on without having to hold it.
-Canned beans or pumpkin added to food for constipation caused by pain meds. We were told they sometimes will not poo up to four days.
-Lots of kisses and cuddles.

Our mistakes:

Visiting Guinness after surgery. He was so upset thinking he was going home, it broke our heart. They really had to give him a shot to calm him down. Staff was nice about it, but we knew we just made their job that much harder.*

Not telling family we were going out of town.

Hope this helps. Hugs to you and Lulu.

Tanya

[Patti]

Originally Posted by JDS

Thank you all for your support. I really appreciate it. It's good to hear from those who have been there done that & lived to tell.

Patty, does Pixie show any symptoms or signs of having had LP or the LP surgery? Lulu can't run far at all right now without limping & pulling up her little leg. My vet just called back to tell me that they forgot to inform me that Lulu can't eat or drink after 10pm the day before her appt. The surgeon said most surgeries are done the same day as the consult. That's kinda scary to me! I guess I need to try to feel prepared before going.

capt_noonie, thank you for the information on care credit. My husband has been looking into it. We have good credit but a slightly high debt to credit ratio so hopefully we will be able to get enough. We won't have any problems making the payments & we are hoping to get 12 months interest free b/c we know for sure we can have it covered by then. My husband is going to call the surgeon before our appt to inquire about this & to see if we should apply online before going or wait until we get there.

The only way you can tell is the hair on that leg has not fully grown in. She walks fine and is more active. Pixie had shown no signs of LP and I thought she was the only one of my 4 that didn't have it. Then one day after walking off then end of the bed by accident she couldn't stand up with out falling over. I thought she had broken her leg. I was surprised when they told me not to feed her before the appt too. But is was easier that way, having it done that day so I didn't have time to dwell on it. She had her knee cap re grooved, the bone cut and moved over and a stitch in the tendon. I had the Care Credit already and was able to get 12 months to pay off the 2600.00. I hope you can avoid surgery but if not I hope it goes smoothly.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Hi there, sorry that your little one is possibly facing lp surgery. We went thru it with Hot Rod. He was about 1 1/2 and his poor leg was bowed outward. He did not want to go for the walks that he loved to. He was at a grade 3.

Long story short, I am glad that we went thru it, but we didn't have much option as he needed it due to his leg being bowed outward. I seconded guessed myself for the first few days and then for the next 2 weeks. I couldn't relax until I got the phone call that the surgery was done and he was waking up.

We were not allowed to see him after surgery as they felt it would upset him. I was able to call to check up on him however and they were very understanding, even at the 3rd phone call for the night. lol My anxiety, and so will yours, dropped 85% when I got the phone call after his surgery. Yay!

Did your vet go over supplements at all? We are now on Dasuquin. Maggie May has been diagnosed with mild grade 2 in both knees but the vet feels as though she is okay and does not need surgery at this point in time. To see her, you would never guess she had loose knees although you can hear them pop sometimes but she's always running and jumping without any hesitation or pain.

I have soft collars available if you should wish to look at an alternative to the plastic cone collars. Just click on the 2nd portion of my signature. Best of luck with your decision. Please feel free to pm with any questions.

We were able to get CC and they were super quick and easy to work with.

Hugs, Bo

[diannenet]

I suggest applying on line for CC. You will be approved instantly. You will be able to print out a temporary "card" and your real card will come in the mail about 1-2 weeks later. You might want to make sure your ortho and vet accept CC. I have used it at the vet for medications and office visits. It is great. But the others are right, make sure you pay it off by the end of the promotional period or the interest rate will kill you!

Good luck and please keep us posted.